Delavan | Wisconsin

Month: June 2018

Not to shock anyone, but it’s practically the end of June already, and July follows June, and in July is Independence Day, or the 4th of July or whatever your personal preference is in calling it. Delavan takes advantage of the holiday itself being on a Wednesday by starting things early the weekend before and carrying through ’til July 4. How cool and fun is that?!

Lake Lawn Resort celebrates the holiday with their 4th of July Getaway package, good for arrival between June 29 and July 4, which includes a two night stay, unlimited mini-golf per person, two 140th Anniversary Celebration beach towels per room, and the All American Grill-Out Lawn Party Buffet with live music either on June 30 or July 4, per person, if staying either of those nights. The All American Grill-out Lawn Party Buffet is also open to the public each day it’s offered (again, June 30 and July 4) to be able to dine lakeside on the lawn, choosing from the traditional summer fare of Wisconsin brats and kraut, honey BBQ grilled chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs, bi-color sweet corn, baked beans, a variety of salads, pink lemonade, and create-your-own strawberry shortcake and s’mores cupcakes to finish it off. On June 30, enjoy the fireworks which begin at dusk (five or take 9:30 pm), by the Town of Delavan over Delavan Lake.

As far as those fireworks, they are the icing on the cake of the Town of Delavan’s Independence Day Celebration, June 30. Beginning at 2 pm in Community Park, there will be live music by Razzmatazz, then at 3 pm it’s an Echos of Camp Randall UW-Madison Marching Band performance, and then from 7 – 11 pm BCT plays. Concessions are open from 2 – 11 pm and the fireworks already mentioned are at approximately 9:30 pm.

Delavan shows their patriotic side with the annual ‘Let Freedom Ring’ celebration on July 4. Start the morning with the pancake breakfast at the Delavan Fire Station, 7 – 11 am; keep cool (positive assumption the weather will be nice) at the Mill Pond, open 12 – 2 pm; watch the parade at 3 pm through the downtown; then head to Phoenix Park for the UW-Madison Marching Band performance with the Delavan Youth Cheer group, 4 – 5 pm; then stick around for the Booze Brothers Review in the Bandshell, 5 – 8 pm. Finish the day at Veterans Park with the flag ceremony, 9 pm, and fireworks, 9:30 pm.

It’s almost time to celebrate the Red, White & Blue, and now you’ve got numerous ways to accomplish that in Delavan, from the weekend before through the 4th of July itself!

Happy 4th of July!

Yah, well, trying to do a play on “lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my” from the Wizard of Oz with the title of this blog… It’s Friday afternoon, it’s fairly hot out and therefore a bit muggy in my office, and you get what you get under those conditions! Besides, if you’re a reader of this blog, you should pretty much have my personality and/or sense of humor figured out by now. 😀

Alrighty then! So Brick Street Days is happening next weekend, Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23. With that is the celebration of the arts, history, music and culture of Delavan. This annual event stems from the original weekend in 2015 when Walldog mural artists descended on Delavan and painted the first 18 murals depicting various aspects of Delavan’s history. There are now 20 murals, with the most recent having been painted during last year’s Brick Street Days. There will be two guided tours (by wagon) of the downtown Walldog murals offered on Saturday, at noon and 1:30 pm. The tour can be picked up at the corner of 2nd Street and Walworth Avenue. It’s first come / first serve, with limited space, so plan accordingly.

Brick Street Days will officially kick off on Friday night at the Phoenix Park Bandshell. The LoveMonkeys, a Milwaukee band known best for entertaining the heck out of their audiences (I can attest to that, in having seen them multiple times over the years), are performers of rock, pop, reggae, country and original music. Synonyms used to describe them include entertaining, charismatic, fun and energetic. I agree with that list of words!

Saturday morning begins early at 9 am with brick laying dedication as commemorative bricks are being placed throughout the Downtown. 11 am brings arts and craft vendors, artists and art demonstrations, music, food, demonstrations by local businesses, kids activities, guided mural tours, live music, and much more. The Information Center will be open 10 am – 4:30 pm on Saturday only, located at 303 E. Walworth Avenue.

Also happening on Saturday is the Carson & Barnes Circus at Lake Lawn Resort’s Airport grounds with shows at 1:30 pm, 4:30 pm, and 7:30 pm.The family of the Carson & Barnes Circus is proud to present the World Debut of CircusSaurus! With the dawn of a new day comes a new era under the Big Top, and those that were once extinct will re-emerge again – right before your eyes! Watch as the Big Top is transformed into a time machine and embark on an adventure of a lifetime! Be amazed as dinosaurs shake the very ground we walk on. The trio of Deinoychus – Rumble, Rascal and Rebel – will transport you back in time and show you why dinosaurs ruled the land!

With so much to do next weekend, and more to choose from on Sunday, make it a weekend getaway of family fun, filled with memories in the making!

Being vegan, I look forward to this time of year with the variety of fresh, locally grown produce. No offense to my grocery store’s produce department, which I love, but there’s just something about farmers’ markets that has me trying veggies I wouldn’t even glance at in the grocery store (like Brussels sprouts!). Not that you care about my eating habits, but fresh, locally grown produce – fruits, veggies, jams, honey, etc. – even has me being more creative in my cooking.

Lucky for all of us, the farmers’ markets in Delavan begin this week and go through the end of September.

Personally, I’m loving the timing of one being on Thursday and the other being on Friday, so that I can easily attend both!

How about you? Will I see you there, meaning at both of them, of course?! If not, that just means more fresh, locally produce for me! Come join me and we can swap recipes and ideas for how to use the great stuff we’ll be getting.

It’s summer and as a kid that meant going to the movies to beat the heat ‘coz the theater had air conditioning! Well how about the option of watching a movie outdoors, in the park, under the stars? And how about if it was free to do?! Got your attention, don’t I…?

Darien ~

Head to West Park with blankets and lawn chairs for a relaxing evening watching a movie under the stars! Admission is free and the movie begins at 8:45 pm.June 15 – Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

Delavan ~

Bring the whole family, all your friends and the neighborhood to Phoenix Park and enjoy a fun night watching a movie on a cinema-sized screen. Bring your own blankets and lawn chairs for getting comfy. Feel free to bring your own snacks, or don’t worry about it and enjoy the concessions that will be available. Admission is free and the movies begin at either 9 pm or 8:30 pm (see the listing above).June 8 – The Greatest ShowmanJuly 20 – FerdinandAugust 3 – Coco

This is such an easy decision to make in, so get these dates marked on your calendar!

For other family-friendly events going on in Delavan this summer,
go to VisitDelavan.com